Never mind that Yu Qing had earned nearly a thousand Merit Coins in just seven days.
In a few more months, he’d be lucky if ten of his disciples were still around. His fixed monthly income of Merit Coins would only be a little over a thousand.
As for recruiting more disciples... Yongzhou might be vast, but Cultivators don’t just spring out of thin air. With so many Immortal Descendants looking for disciples, how could someone stationed at Yongzhou Pass possibly compete with the others?
"Let’s go."
As she was about to leave, Chen Xiangzhu couldn’t help but take another deep look at Lin Shu.
She suddenly thought of Yan Jin.
’When that little disciple of mine gets back, I can have her act as a go-between. I need to find out what it would take to poach this young man and have him work for me.’
With the outsiders gone from the inn,
Lin Shu lifted the little one off the table and set her on a stool. "Stop climbing onto the table."
He was quite satisfied with her performance just now.
If an Immortal Descendant wasn’t tough enough, they would always be bullied, their achievements and territory stolen.
"Hehe."
Yu Sheng took the opportunity to hang onto the young man’s arm, wrapping her legs around his forearm like a little monkey.
She inhaled deeply, taking in his reassuring scent, and slowly closed her eyes, looking as if she were about to fall asleep again.
In the seven days Lin Shu had been away, the little chick hadn’t slept a wink.
"You’re so amazing... I feel so proud..."
"Don’t fall asleep yet."
Lin Shu pulled her off and observed her carefully for a moment.
It wasn’t an illusion.
She had actually grown a little.
’Could it be that as my Physique grows stronger, Yu Sheng is also nourished in return?’
He gently pried open her eyelids and slowly explained the change in her Essence Blood.
"What does it matter?"
Yu Sheng yawned, so sleepy that tears welled up in her eyes. Her voice grew quieter and more muffled. "You weren’t going to give it back to me anyway. Besides, if you left, then no one would want me at all..."
Before she could even finish her sentence, she started snoring with her eyes wide open.
Speechless, Lin Shu let go of her eyelids.
He took the wisp of the Demon’s aura from Yu Sheng’s hand and studied it intently.
Once he had completely memorized its scent,
Lin Shu closed his eyes and sent out his Soul-Splitting consciousness to patrol back and forth within the small Earth City.
There were only the two of them, and Yu Sheng was still just a clueless child.
If it came down to a contest of luck, they definitely couldn’t compete with the other Immortal Descendants who had numerous disciples.
But the existence of his Soul-Splitting ability could compensate for that disadvantage, at least a little.
’I just don’t know if I can beat it.’
After doing all this,
a hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
Although the Demon was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, there were high and low levels within that stage. The difference between the upper and lower limits was vast.
But with the Ink Flood Dragon Sword Bracelet on his side, he shouldn’t need to be too nervous.
’I’m overthinking this. I might not even run into it.’
Lin Shu gave a self-deprecating smile.
It was only said that the Demon might attempt to break through a nearby pass and escape to the Great Shun Dynasty.
But with so many Earth Cities in the vicinity, the probability of it happening to pass through Shihu, and him happening to encounter it, was incredibly slim.
At this thought, he waved his sleeve, extinguishing the lamps in the inn, leaving only a single candle on the table.
By the pea-sized candlelight,
Lin Shu opened the thin booklet that recorded various Magical Artifacts.
Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, tomahawks, hooks, and forks.
Besides these weapons, there were also items like Magical Robes, Spirit Discs, and rings.
The effects and prices of these Magical Artifacts were recorded in detail.
Low Grade Magical Artifacts ranged from one thousand five hundred to three thousand Merit Coins.
As for Mid Grade Magical Artifacts, there were only a few, and their prices were astonishingly high. The cheapest one cost ten thousand Merit Coins.
Clearly, these items weren’t actually meant for disciples to exchange. They were just listed there to give everyone something to aspire to.
It was debatable whether the actual items even existed.
As for Top Grade Magical Artifacts, just as Gu Nanzhi had said before, only Immortal Descendants were qualified to possess them. There was no record of them in the booklet at all.
"Huuu..."
Lin Shu let out a light breath.
The Immortal Families had a Cultivator’s entire life planned out, right down to the total number of Merit Coins they could earn, all meticulously calculated.
A Foundation Establishment Cultivator who came to Yongzhou Pass and trained for five years, if they passed their time uneventfully, would only earn enough Merit Coins to exchange for Elixirs.
Although their Cultivation would improve, they would have to leave empty-handed.
Only by fighting for their lives would they have a chance to take a Magical Artifact or two with them.
He reached out and closed the booklet.
He planned to wait for the Crimson Heart Pill to be delivered tomorrow, see if he could advance his Realm, and then use his Merit Coins to deduce his Inner Technique.
Lin Shu stood up, intending to extinguish the candle on the table.
Just as he raised his palm, his movement abruptly froze.
As if sensing the violent turmoil in his mind,
Yu Sheng suddenly woke from her sleep, her drowsy eyes looking toward the tabletop.
She was about to ask what was wrong but suddenly covered her mouth with her chubby little hands. "Mmph!"
Under the gaze of two pairs of eyes,
on the table, the wisp of the Demon’s aura was trembling violently!
It was really here!
Yu Sheng rubbed her eyes with a balled fist, signaling for the young man to quickly pretend to be asleep.
In the innate legacy of an Immortal Descendant, the most deeply ingrained instinct was to avoid Demon Fiends.
Those Great Demons seemed to have a natural hatred for the Immortal Sects and would cruelly hunt and kill Immortal Descendants, even without reason!
"Huuu."
Lin Shu’s expression gradually grew serious.
He extinguished the candlelight on the table.
The entire inn was plunged into darkness.
He sat quietly by the table, doing his utmost to conceal his aura. The Filthy Moon Wolf Lord opened its crimson eyes in the darkness.
His bones began to gleam with a jade-like golden luster as a powerful force surged through his entire body.
TAP, TAP.
Soon, the sound of light, unsteady footsteps echoed through the inn.
The thing seemed to be looking for something.
Yu Sheng’s eyes widened. She tried to hold her breath, but her small body couldn’t stop trembling.
She instinctively moved closer to the young man, only to find the space beside her empty.
Lin Shu had vanished at some point.
CRACK.
The next moment, the sharp sound of a bone breaking suddenly echoed through the inn.
"I’ll kill you!"
Yu Sheng shot up with a WHOOSH, leaping forward with a scream.
Several lamps and candles lit up one after another inside the inn.
Lin Shu stood impassively by the table, having slammed a figure hard onto its surface. There was no fluctuation of Spiritual Power, but under the tight grip of his five fingers, the bones in the Demon’s entire arm had been crushed to dust.
Yu Sheng grabbed a small stool and jumped up, intending to smash it down on the Demon’s head.
But the moment she landed on the tabletop, her whole body froze.
The Demon’s clothes were tattered, revealing filthy, blood-stained skin. Its disheveled hair made it look even more wretched.
Between the tangled, hanging strands of hair, a terrified and frightened, yet incredibly familiar, face was revealed.
"Please, I’m begging you, don’t, don’t eat me..."
She seemed to have lost her mind. Her once-beautiful face was now covered in cracks, devoid of its former grace.
Instead, she looked like a miserable madwoman.
Yu Sheng was in disbelief. Then her gaze shifted downward, staring at the deep cleavage visible through the woman’s tattered clothes, and she instantly confirmed the person’s identity.
She dazedly put down the stool in her hands. "How can it be you?"
Gu Nanzhi trembled all over. With her arm pinned by the young man, she instinctively turned her face to avoid his gaze. Her eyes were vacant, and she didn’t seem to recognize Yu Sheng.
"Ah! Don’t hurt her! It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! She’s not a Demon, she’s a good person!"
Yu Sheng suddenly hugged Lin Shu’s arm, trying with all her might to pull it away.
She hadn’t forgotten that this busty woman had slipped her a note before leaving, saying she would introduce some disciples to her.
Of course, Lin Shu had gotten a clear look at the person’s face.
This was why, after violently restraining her, his movements had suddenly halted, and he hadn’t continued the attack.
He pressed his lips together, his expression complicated.
In Lin Shu’s mind, it would have been more believable if Yan Jin had turned out to be a Demon in disguise than this County Captain.
Because back in Black Water City...
the moment this woman mentioned the Demon-slaying Bureau, her face had been full of aspiration; she dreamed of nothing but slaying demons and fiends.
Lin Shu prided himself on being a good judge of character.
That kind of proud expression was very difficult to fake.
Besides, at that time, no one in the city had even seen a Demon, so Gu Nanzhi would have had no reason to put on an act for anyone.
Comparing her spirited expression back then to her current wretched state revealed an absurd, ironic contrast.
How did a perfectly fine Immortal Sect Disciple turn into a so-called Demon in just a few short days?

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